How good are the medical centers, hospitals and health clinics in Nicaragua, and how close are they?

Medical care in Nicaragua can be excellent or it can be poor. There are 3 excellent hospitals in Managua, the Vivian Pellas being the newest and nicest. It received the JCI accreditation and was the 13th hospital in all of Latin America to earn this ranking.

 

Managua has the best hospitals. Smaller cities like Granada, Leon, Chinadega, and Rivas on the western side have OK facilities. The doctors are by and large very good, especially for run of...

Medical care in Nicaragua can be excellent or it can be poor. There are 3 excellent hospitals in Managua, the Vivian Pellas being the newest and nicest. It received the JCI accreditation and was the 13th hospital in all of Latin America to earn this ranking.

 

Managua has the best hospitals. Smaller cities like Granada, Leon, Chinadega, and Rivas on the western side have OK facilities. The doctors are by and large very good, especially for run of the mill injuries like broken bones, but may lack experience in specialized procedures.

The best hospitals in Nicaragua are in Managua.  Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas is right now, the best one, and is internationally certified even in the United States.
 
There is another huge hospital being built in Managua that belongs to the military but that also will serve private patients scheduled to accept patients in the beginning of 2015.  We are told that it will be the largest hospital in Central America. The cost to build the hospital is over...

The best hospitals in Nicaragua are in Managua.  Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas is right now, the best one, and is internationally certified even in the United States.
 
There is another huge hospital being built in Managua that belongs to the military but that also will serve private patients scheduled to accept patients in the beginning of 2015.  We are told that it will be the largest hospital in Central America. The cost to build the hospital is over $50 million, which for Nicaragua and Central America, is a big investment.
 
Hospital Salud Integral is another private hospital in Managua that is in good standing where people from other countries come to have certain surgeries done. 
 
The good hospitals to have surgeries done are in Nicaragua are all in Managua. This may seem inconvenient until you consider that the distances in Nicaragua between the major population centers and where expats are most likely to live are short.  You can come from Granada to Managua in 40 minutes.  You can come from San Juan del Sur to Managua in an hour and forty-five minutes.  You can come from Leon to Managua in one hour.
 
All the main cities have small local hospitals and clinics, which are public.  However, there are also private medical facilities in the small cities.  You have private doctors who have their clinics in Granada and Leon, and in San Juan del Sur I’m sure there are one or two private doctors who can at least assist in an emergency.  

Within the last six or so years, in Managua, Nicaragua, they just opened the largest hospital in Central America, a private hospital called Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas.  By North American standards, it’s very inexpensive and its very, very good; state-of-the-art.
 
To give you an idea of the care you can receive in Nicaragua at Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, I recently came back from a trip that included a very long plane ride, which caused me some...

Within the last six or so years, in Managua, Nicaragua, they just opened the largest hospital in Central America, a private hospital called Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas.  By North American standards, it’s very inexpensive and its very, very good; state-of-the-art.
 
To give you an idea of the care you can receive in Nicaragua at Hospital Metropolitano Vivian Pellas, I recently came back from a trip that included a very long plane ride, which caused me some symptoms of numbness.  I went to the emergency room of the hospital and saw medical personal immediately.  Three hours later, after putting me through several tests, including a scan, they determined that nothing was wrong with me.  The total cost to me was $46.  The care was first rate.

On a personal level, I feel comfortable that if I can’t get to the hospital where I’m registered, you could take me to any public hospital in Nicaragua, because most of the best doctors in Nicaragua practice at least in part at the public hospitals.

 

The only bad thing about public hospitals is the waiting list.  However, if you’ve got an emergency, most of the doctors at the public hospitals during normal working hours are among the best...

On a personal level, I feel comfortable that if I can’t get to the hospital where I’m registered, you could take me to any public hospital in Nicaragua, because most of the best doctors in Nicaragua practice at least in part at the public hospitals.

 

The only bad thing about public hospitals is the waiting list.  However, if you’ve got an emergency, most of the doctors at the public hospitals during normal working hours are among the best doctors in the entire country of Nicaragua.

 

Because of working at Operation Smile, I work with the best doctors in Nicaragua and know them first hand.  Operation Smile works with a lot of credentialing from the US, and we only work with the best.  We don’t care about anything except how good the doctor is.  Some of them work for Vivian Pellas (the best known and highest regarded private hospital in Nicaragua) but most of them work for Ministry of Health for one of the public hospitals.  In my opinion the Ministry of Health has the best doctors in Nicaragua.

 

Many foreigners find it surprising that the public hospitals in Nicaragua have such high quality doctors.  There are several reasons for this. In Nicaragua, doctors know that they can get a steady income by being on a payroll.  The Ministry of Health does this very well, so it has many very high quality physicians working for it who work at the public hospitals.  They work from 7 AM to 3 PM in the public hospital and then after 3 PM, the physicians are allowed to work in private sector.  As a result, most of the good doctors are well paid by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health and they get to do private medicine.   Therefore, you could go to Vivian Pellas (the best known private hospital in Nicaragua) or you could go to a public hospital and see the same doctor and pay much less at the public hospital.  In Nicaragua, the income for physicians is not that high, so many of them have two or three other jobs at other hospitals.  Some of them may work at Vivian Pellas and then at other hospitals.  Compared to Vivian Pellas, the other hospitals are quite inexpensive. 

 

Of course, Vivian Pellas is very popular among foreigners, but I don’t think that Vivian Pellas is the only option for great medical care in Nicaragua.  Every hospital has its specialty.  If I’m in an accident I would feel very comfortable if my mom takes me to a public hospital just because it is closer.

 

Here’s a list of good hospitals in different parts of the country and for different needs:

When, on behalf of Operation Smile, I have to choose the best doctor, not just the most expensive one.  For example, if I were looking for a physician to do a nose surgery, I would rather choose the one who does the highest quantity of surgeries and therefore, has the most experience.  In my opinion, as long as the hospital meets base requirements, the doctor is the most important factor in your healthcare.

 

I personally go to the Military Hospital.  They are currently investing heavily in medical equipment and will bring in many more specialties over the next year that are not now in Nicaragua.  When my grandfather got sick, I went to every hospital and ended up sending him to Hospital Manolo Morales, which is also a public hospital.  The reason I chose Hospital Manolo Morales is that  was the only place in Nicaragua that could give him a pacemaker in less than 48 hours with the requirements we needed.  The other hospitals wanted to do exams, etc., which would have taken too long.  We chose the doctor that implanted a pacemaker every two days.  To do so, we took my grandfather out of a private hospital and put him in Hospital Manolo Morales, which did a great job.    

 

For me, with very few exceptions, in Nicaragua, there are no good or bad hospitals; there are only good and bad doctors.  You should be focused more on your specific needs rather than the specific hospital.  Get the right doctor.

 

All the hospitals in Nicaragua meet the minimum requirements, so you can focus on getting the right doctor.  Operation Smile is a US NGO that works only at public hospitals that meet the minimum requirements and most of the hospitals I see meet the criteria for the US.  Maybe from a North American perspective they are a little bit dirty in the waiting room (which may cause you to worry), but in the ORs, the beds, the pre-op and post-op, they’re very clean and very professional.

 

The same doctor would charge you double to see you in some private hospitals as compared to seeing you in a public hospital.  Here’s an example of the cost.  My husband and I had the same virus.  (I know it was the same virus because I gave it to him.)  He went to the best-known private hospital and I went to the Military Hospital.  For medication, x-rays, and IV fluid, with no insurance, I paid $200 out of pocket.  Even after his insurance, my husband paid $400, without IV fluids and x-rays.  I don’t know how much it would cost in Seattle, which is where I lived when I was in the US.

 

To see a good doctor for a checkup in Nicaragua, it would cost you between $40 - $60.

Nicaragua healthcare varies from location to location and it's very important to understand the quality of service in order to determine the best facility for your needs.

 

The best healthcare in Nicaragua is without a doubt in Managua.  There are a handful of quality hospitals, with Metropolitano Vivian Pellas being the best.  They have state-of-the-art equipment, many doctors were trained in the US (or other countries known for quality...

Nicaragua healthcare varies from location to location and it's very important to understand the quality of service in order to determine the best facility for your needs.

 

The best healthcare in Nicaragua is without a doubt in Managua.  There are a handful of quality hospitals, with Metropolitano Vivian Pellas being the best.  They have state-of-the-art equipment, many doctors were trained in the US (or other countries known for quality healthcare), there are many doctors who speak English and, to top it all off, the cost is very inexpensive.  They also offer memberships, which provide discounted care and medications.

 

I have just recently experienced the healthcare in Jinotega at Hospital Victoria Moto.  It was very basic.  Wards that are just big rooms with beds and that is about all the hospital provides.  Care was given by student nurses and interns which were only responsible for providing I.V. medications, taking blood and starting I.V.s (which they did very poorly, usually taking more then 3 attempts.)  It is expected here that you will have a partner that will provide for all...

I have just recently experienced the healthcare in Jinotega at Hospital Victoria Moto.  It was very basic.  Wards that are just big rooms with beds and that is about all the hospital provides.  Care was given by student nurses and interns which were only responsible for providing I.V. medications, taking blood and starting I.V.s (which they did very poorly, usually taking more then 3 attempts.)  It is expected here that you will have a partner that will provide for all your needs, such as bedding, food, bathing, change of clothes and to go for medications.  A hospital stay would be very difficult for a person alone here.

 

After this experience I would say that the only acceptable hospitals for expats are in Managua.